Greg Zyla: BMW’s Isetta 250/300 bubble car’

Friday

Dec 30, 2011 at 12:01 AMDec 30, 2011 at 4:56 AM

It’s hard to imagine that in 1958, a tiny BMW Isetta known as the “bubble car” saved the company. Mercedes-Benz was ready to pounce on the financially strapped BMW, which had done well with its motorcycles but struggled with car sales.

Greg Zyla

It’s hard to imagine that in 1958, a tiny BMW Isetta known as the “bubble car” saved the company. Mercedes-Benz was ready to pounce on the financially strapped BMW, which had done well with its motorcycles but struggled with car sales.

This little "micro car" weighed only 750 pounds, and power came from a 1-cylinder, 13-horsepower BMW style motorcycle engine. It got about 45 mpg, went 53 mph and cost just $1,048 when introduced to the U.S. market.

The initial Isetta was designed by the Italian company Iso Spa. However, Iso Spa licensed the Isetta out, and BMW of Germany and Velam in France moved quickly to sign agreements. Later, the Isetta would also be built in United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain and Brazil.

The BMW version, however, was completely different from the Italian and French versions, as the BMW engineers installed the aforementioned 1-cylinder, 247 cc engine. Thus, in 1955, BMW was officially in the “micro car” business in hopes of building consumer goodwill similar to Germany’s “people’s car,” the Volkswagen Beetle.

In addition to the original base Isetta, BMW upgraded to an Isetta 250 in Germany that still ran just 53 mph. Owners only needed a motorcycle license to operate an Isetta in Germany, and soon after in October of 1956, the Isetta 300 was born on a longer wheelbase. Instead of permanent bubble windows, the 300 featured sliding side windows, larger 298 cc engine and room for four passengers. The Isetta 300 is the model that impacted America and is most recognizable to baby boomer car enthusiasts.

Later, an Isetta 600 was built, featuring a more powerful 582cc engine and could achieve a top speed of 64 mph. Only 34,000 Isetta 600s were produced in the two years of its lifespan, mainly because of the competition from the Volkswagen Beetle.

In May 1962, three years after launching the modern BMW 700, the end of Isetta production was at hand. Overall, a total of 161,728 BMWs were built, and there is now talk of BMW reviving the Isetta name and branding its new Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) an Isetta. The rear-engined new Isetta mimics the older model (see photos) and should arrive in American showrooms in 2015 or sooner.